Boney MJ Yuganjan

Variety Chronicles

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Chinese Xinxia movies always has Spectacles but not Emotions..

But Ramayana has Core of Emotions more than fantasy spectacles

Hope it will be shown on screen...

[Raunaq Mangottil @RaunaqMangottil]

"Why does this look so fake?"
"Looks like a 90s/2000s TV Serial"
"No one wants to watch this after watching The Odyssey"

Beyond the other issues that people have with India's biggest film yet, one thing that stands out about the Ramayana trailer is its visual language.

Too clean.
Too artificial.
Too much green screen.

Especially when we're tuned to Hollywood epics like Lord of the Rings, Dune and now The Odyssey where the worlds feel real, I wondered why a 2-part film that costs 4000 crores couldn't be shot in real locations with practical effects.
After some digging, I have a theory on the visual language.

While doing some research I stumbled upon a whole new genre of films: Chinese Xianxia fantasy.

Xianxia roughly translates to 'Immortal Heroes' and these films are all about gods, immortals, demons, heavenly kingdoms.

While watching the trailer of Creation of the Gods(2023), one of China's most expensive productions based on their own mythological epic, I noticed that it looked completely different to Hollywood epic films:

❌Muted earth tones
✅Bright, high-key color grading

❌Real Locations
✅Extensive CGI and digital world-building

❌Naturalistic lighting
✅Stylized, controlled, divine lighting

...all very similar to the visual language of Ramayana.

@malhotra_namit 's Ramayana definitely wants to compete with Hollywood, but not by making another Lord of the Rings

It looks like the goal is to create a distinctly Indian mythological world using a visual language that's already popular across Asia

AND

It could also be a smart strategic move: China is one of the world's biggest theatrical markets, and audiences there are already familiar with this aesthetic through Xianxia cinema.

Personal hot take:
Film twitter might find this visual aesthetic cringe and 'serial-like' but I think the cleaner, brighter, more idealized look may actually feel more divine to the average family audience than a gritty, weathered Hollywood aesthetic ever could.

Agree/Disagree?

[BiLLA🦅 @AshaTweets1]

How did Rajamouli created this scene so brilliantly🥶🔥

Show me one scene better than this in Indian Cinema.

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Amazing Theory 👏

[Rocket @masoladosa]

Someone on Instagram is saying

In KGF 2 Rocky Bhai sank with all the gold, then took it all to Sri Lanka built a golden city there and became the king 😭

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Subbu mams The teriffic Director 🎬

[Ashwin Krishna E 🦁 @chiyaanashwin]

Made genre-defying films.
Introduced Vijay Sethupathi.
Revived S. J. Suryah.
Made the ultimate fanboy film.
Gave Vikram a cult classic.
Unleashed Dhruv's true aura.
Proved Raghava Lawrence can act.
Gave Suriya his The One title.

SUBBU IS THE MAN
A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION FILMMAKER.

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Somehow the Above Average Fantasy Kollywood Movie from selvaraghavan

[sa @belikesami]

this is so peak it’s insane

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

The Situation where our Junior going to job &

Still we are re-appearing for arrear exams...

[Jay @TheJ4yMan]

the guy who grew up watching your movies has already finished his 10th film.

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

@ssrajamouli please Consider to Make Magadheerabali on real Movie 🎥

#ssrajamouli #prabhas #ramcharan

[నాగరాజు పాండే😎 @Mahesh_4Akhil]

Facial expressions and Body Movements 👌
AI Peaked Here 🤌🔥

#Maghadeera #Bahubali

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Still it's hard to believe that #sergioleone is the director of this below average peplum Movie.

[sam. @suddenxfear]

the colossus of rhodes (1961) sergio leone

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

https://t.co/Zy6q6wWU3T

This one Scene is greater than whole movie

[Raunaq Mangottil @RaunaqMangottil]

Takes its own sweet time sharpening its sword but god damn is it worth waiting for the last half hour

Craziest sword fights I’ve ever seen on film

Rurouni Kenshin: Origins @NetflixIndia

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Anji ⭐

The Evergreen Masterpiece from Kodi Ramakrishna & Chiranjeevi..

Even Inspired from Indiana Jones this Fantasy Still holds the special space 20 years later...

Hope Vishwambara equals the magic ✨ of Anji.. @KChiruTweets

[BiLLA🦅 @AshaTweets1]

Believe me this film's budjet 25Cr and it's made before 2 decades ago.

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Old Cinema Day Perarasu Lecturer

[Tony Soprano @brba_4ever]

Good old days when Anna lectured Asin with ‘bra’ , ‘jetty’ remarks

Lot of women were empowered through this scene!!

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Pradeep Rawat role of ashwathama in Mahabharata is ❤️‍🔥

[︎ ︎venom @venom1s]

Pradeep Rawat played the role of Ashwathama in Mahabharat (1988).

Om Shanti. 🙏

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Peak Jeeja Killing Moment in Bollywood was ❤️‍🔥

[Walter Black @BryanBergX]

Whenever there's a Jeeja–Saala sequence, it's apparently a blockbuster guarantee.

#Ranayana

[Anshitha🫶💖🍉 @Anshithaprincey]

8 வருடங்கள் ஆச்சு இந்த க்ளாசிக் வந்து. இது ஓல்டு தான் ஆனா கோல்டு‌ 😜

யாருக்கலாம் பிஜீலி ரமேஷ் இன்னும் ஞாபகத்துல இருக்கார்?

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Troll Cinema ( TC ) @Troll_Cinema]

Spidey gets married ✨♥️

VC : ig/ihafix

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Heroes Can Fly & Fly can be a Hero... ⭐

Just #ssrajamouli Things ❤️‍🔥

Eega the Masterpiece of indian cinema 🎥 @ssrajamouli ❤️

[𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙄𝙀 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 🍿 @moviiettime]

SS Rajamouli never fails to entertain us.💥👌

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

😍💗

[Mama @SriniMaama16]

After Brand New Day, been on a Spiderman binge this past week. Spiderman 1, Spiderman 2, Spiderman 3, Homecoming, Far From Home, No Way. Rewatched the entire Toby Maguire & Tom Holland movie set lol. Love them both. Green Goblin, Dr Octavious, Sandman, Venom, New Goblin, Vulture, Mysterio nu such iconic villains. Who's your favorite? Even though the Tom Holland MCU movies are so well made , my fav villains are Green Goblin & Doc Ock. Also, the OG Spiderman oda emotional meter just works so well. Especially the Uncle Ben scenes made me tear up. 'With great power comes great responsibility'. What a franchise!

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Raavanan ✨

Ramayana from Raavanan Point of view .

Raavanan as Hero,Ram as Villian , Sitaa affected by stockholm syndrome..

Beautiful love potrayal between Raavan and Sita

Controversial but yet the Epic retelling of Ramayana on Another version.

#raavanan #ramayana

[Hugendran @Hugendran1606]

Raavanan - A Mani Ratnam Masterpiece

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

The Epic Magic from Rama Narayanan before annai kaaligambaal.. goosebumps stuff #rajakaliamman 🔥💥

[Shelby @boomerehh1]

goosebumbs scene in childwood🥵🤟

[Boney MJ Yuganjan @fantasyan4ever]

Probably the finest family drama from Panditaj which has no cringe scenes or looking like tele serials ..

[Sathish @SazzNomads]

கேடி பில்லா கில்லாடி ரங்கா ல இந்த சீன் 🥺